classical

20.7 million Americans (8.8% of all US adults) attended a classical music performance in 2012, according to the National Endowment for the Arts’ recent survey highlights. 19 million (8.1%) attended a jazz gig. But if these millions of classical & jazz fans tried to use any of the most popular digital music services to access classical or jazz music at home, they’d likely end up confused and unable to find what they’re looking for. read more

Metadata. Sounds like a android with irony issues. But it’s actually important to musicians and composers.

So what is it? Metadata is information that lives with every file on your computer. Through a mix of words and numbers, metadata describes files so that they can be managed by both the user and the system. In the case of a music file, metadata refers to the tags associated with a particular piece of music — such as the artist, album name, year of release, etc. These tags are definitely useful for the listener in keeping track of a digital collection. For artists, it’s about tracking for downloads and plays, which can ensure timely and accurate compensation.

Unfortunately, not all systems to organize metadata are created equal. Non-rock artists, especially jazz and classical musicians, have borne the brunt of some of the most poorly organized metadata out there. This is largely because the new business models are often developed with only popular music in mind.

Recently, All Things Digital’s MediaMemo reported on some anonymous-insider murmurings (are there any other kind?) about Sony and other major labels prepping to launch a classical music-oriented digital store. (According to the rumors, jazz is a possibility as well.)

But why a genre-specific download store? Isn’t classical music available at other sites and services?

Just a decade ago, options for hearing chamber music, jazz, and world music on the radio were straightforward and rather limited: a local NPR or Pacifica station spinning Beethoven string quartets or Wynton Marsalis on a dial filled with infinite varieties of commercial pop, country, and talk. But as with many art forms, the Internet has revolutionized how niche music reaches fans. With recording, podcasting and webcasting becoming cheaper every day, traditional radio broadcasts have morphed into dozens of new forms on the web, and ? perhaps most importantly ? the line between being a performer and a broadcaster has blurred. This new environment offers new possibilities for reaching new audiences, but it requires a new way of thinking about radio. read more

Chicago Classical Music is running a two part piece over the next two weeks called “Think Digitally, Broadcast Globally” by the Future of Music Coalition. The piece focuses on how the Internet has changed the way classical, jazz and world music reaches fans. Here’s an excerpt from the first installment:

Just a decade ago, options for hearing chamber music, jazz, and world music on the radio were straightforward and rather limited: a local NPR or Pacifica station spinning Beethoven string quartets or Wynton Marsalis on a dial filled with infinite varieties of commercial pop, country, and talk. read more

This is an excerpt of material first presented by Jean Cook at CASH Music Summit in Portland,OR in August 2013.

There is a special kind of data that enables the discovery and consumption of music. It’s called metadata. This article describes two specific ways that services like Spotify, iTunes, Rhapsody, Google Music, and Pandora dramatically underserve the market for classical and jazz music because of the way they treat the metadata for these genres. But first, a little about what metadata is. read more